Govender Desiree, Naidoo Saloshni, Taylor Myra
Kwazulu-Natal Department of Health, South Africa.
Discipline of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu- Natal.
Afr J Reprod Health. 2020 Jun;24(s1):56-63. doi: 10.29063/ajrh2020/v24i2s.9.
South Africa, similar to many other countries in the African continent is still experiencing challenges in its efforts to provide sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care to women and adolescent girls, and it has become clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is the latest threat to universal access to SRH. In the face of this threat, the Sustainable Developmental Goals that call on the global community to -leave no one behind‖ may become a blurred vision unless we adopt a wider lens away from the tunnel vision that currently plagues health systems around the globe. This paper therefore exposes how SRH may become collateral damage in the face of the present COVID-19 pandemic. Previous disease outbreaks diverted attention from critical SRH services, including antenatal care, safe abortions, contraception, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. Governments, policy makers, health system gatekeepers and civil society organisations should not allow the COVID-19 phobia to bar women and adolescent girls from accessing SRH services. In fact, the global and South African response to the COVID-19 pandemic must protect everyone's rights, particularly in the health care context. Gender considerations and a human rights approach must be embedded in ensuring the accessibility and availability of SRH services.
与非洲大陆的许多其他国家一样，南非在为妇女和少女提供性健康和生殖健康（SRH）护理方面仍面临挑战，而且很明显，新冠疫情是普及性健康和生殖健康的最新威胁。面对这一威胁，呼吁国际社会“不让任何人掉队”的可持续发展目标可能会变得模糊不清，除非我们从目前困扰全球卫生系统的狭隘视角转向更广阔的视角。因此，本文揭示了在当前新冠疫情面前，性健康和生殖健康如何可能成为附带损害。以往的疾病爆发转移了对关键的性健康和生殖健康服务的关注，包括产前护理、安全堕胎、避孕、艾滋病毒/艾滋病和性传播感染。政府、政策制定者、卫生系统把关人和民间社会组织不应让对新冠疫情的恐惧阻碍妇女和少女获得性健康和生殖健康服务。事实上，全球和南非对新冠疫情的应对必须保护每个人的权利，尤其是在医疗保健方面。在确保性健康和生殖健康服务的可及性和可得性时，必须纳入性别考量和人权方法。
